


Max Headroom - TechnoVision 4 - The Quest in the Forest of Fantasy

by ElegantButler



Series: TechnoVision [4]
Category: Max Headroom (TV)
Genre: Cyberpunk, Fantasy, M/M, Medieval, Post-Apocalypse, dream state
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-26 00:16:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16671115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElegantButler/pseuds/ElegantButler
Summary: In the waking world, Bryce Lynch lies in a coma following a horrific car crash, while in a dream state which might be something more, he faces a great quest accompanied by a knight named Sir Dain who seeks to rescue an immortal princess from the clutches of her demon abductor, the evil Baron of Wightshire.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Italics indicate dream/quest  
> Bold italics indicate thoughts during dream/quest

Max Headroom: TechnoVision

Book 4:  The Quest in The Forest of Fantasy

 

## Chapter 01

 

Bryce Lynch’s friends and family sat and stood around the bed upon which he lie in the med center.

 

The machines that monitored his vital signs beeped and booped.

 

“He’s dreaming,” Jake observed, seeing the brainwave activity. There seemed to be an awful lot of that, despite the horrible injuries to his head and brain.

 

The doctors had been equally surprised at the level of delta and theta waves which seemed to mingle with the REM state. It was unusual for all three to be present at the same time.

 

“He always claimed he didn’t do that,” Edison said. “I wonder if the brain injury is the reason.”

 

Bryce’s doctor walked into the room. He was an older man in his mid sixties with greying blond hair and grey eyes.

 

“I’m afraid visiting hours are over,” he apologized. “You can come back and see him tomorrow.”

 

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Bryce,” Dom promised, bending down to kiss her son’s forehead.

 

“We promise,” Reg added.

 

Jake clasped Bryce’s hand and said “I miss you.”

 

Once they, and the others, had left the room, the doctor pulled  out a ball of cotton and touched Bryce’s eyes to see if he would blink.

 

There was no response. Nor was there any reaction to when the doctor took out a sterile pin and poked gently at the boy’s fingertips. He appeared to be almost completely brain dead. But the doctor knew that could not be the case because the boy’s brain scan was off the charts, At least the bits having to do with dreaming.

 

“You must be having one hell of a dream,” he told Bryce. “I hope it’s a nice one.”

 

*****

 

> Bryce Lynch had been walking through the Forest of Fantasy for nearly an hour. He felt a bit thirsty and knelt by a silver pool to quench his thirst.
> 
>  
> 
> “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said the voice of a man in his mid forties. “Not unless you’d rather suffer having your sanity slowly decay. That’s the Pool of Insanity.”
> 
>  
> 
> “And you are…?” Bryce asked, turning to face the man.
> 
>  
> 
> The voice belonged to a knight. He was dressed in a suit of silver-blue armor emblazoned with a crest featuring twin buzzards each facing outward with a sword standing erect between them.
> 
>  
> 
> “Sir Dain, at your service,” the knight introduced himself. “And who might you be?”
> 
>  
> 
> **This is insane,** Bryce thought to himself. **But it couldn’t hurt to go along with it. All part of the quest.**
> 
>  
> 
> “Bryce Lynch,” he replied.
> 
>  
> 
> “Well, Bryce Lynch,” Sir Dain said, “Where are you going in the Forest of Fantasy? Do you seek the Silver Light?”
> 
>  
> 
> “I don’t even know what the Silver Light is,” Bryce admitted. “Tell me more about it.”
> 
>  
> 
> “The Silver LIght has not been seen by anyone since the Terrible Darkening,” Sir Dain told him. “That happened about a century ago. They said the Queen’s daughter, Princess Cedany, was kidnapped by the evil Baron of Wightshire.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Surely, you’re not seeking her?” Bryce asked.
> 
>  
> 
> “I am,” Sir Dain replied.
> 
>  
> 
> “But a century… she must surely be dead by now!”
> 
>  
> 
> “They say the Baron of Wightshire is an immortal demon,” Sir Dain explained, “and that he granted immortality to the Princess in order that she might remain forever beautiful at his side.”
> 
>  
> 
> “To never be reunited in death with her family…” Bryce considered. He gave a shudder
> 
>  
> 
> “Alas!” Sir Dain agreed, “‘t’would be a terrible fate indeed!”
> 
>  
> 
> “So do you seek the Princess as a companion, or do you plan to end her curse of immortality?” Bryce wanted to know
> 
>  
> 
> “It depends on what she wants,” Sir Dain replied. “But for now, come! I will permit you to join me on my quest as you might discover that yours, whatever it may be, is upon the same path.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Very well,” Bryce agreed.
> 
>  
> 
> “Can you ride?” the knight asked. “My horse waits just beyond the first ring of trees. I will walk her if you cannot, but if you can I know of a stableman who will loan us a steed for you to ride upon.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Then let’s visit your stableman,” Bryce told him. “I’ve never ridden a horse, but I am a fast learner.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Very well,” Sir Dain agreed. “An hour or two spent learning now will be made up for in the speed with which our quest shall be granted by the knowledge you will gain.”
> 
>  


	2. Chapter 2

## Chapter 02

  


Dominique arrived at the beginning of the day to see Bryce. She saw that he was not in his room and began to panic. Had he passed in the night? Was his body now the property of Nightingale’s Body Bank? Parents were supposed to be notified in these cases. But as Bryce had been emancipated since the age of ten, it was possible that the medical center had taken advantage of that loophole in order to make money from selling the dead.

 

“Where is he?” she demanded of an orderly who had come in to change the bed.

 

“I’m just an orderly,” the girl explained. “I’ll get the nurse.”

 

The orderly hurried off leaving Dominique to fear and fret for a moment until she came back with the nurse.

 

“Dominique,” the nurse told her, “your son will be back shortly. The doctor took him into the OR to run some tests. He’s still unresponsive, but he has not gotten any worse.”

 

“So he’s not… dead?” Dom sounded very relieved.

 

“No, he is not,” the nurse smiled. “Look, it’s going to be at least half an hour before your son is back in his room. Why don’t you go up to the cafeteria and have a cup of tea to calm your nerves?”

 

“Thank you,” Dom agreed. “I think I will.”

 

*****

 

> Sir Dain’s friend turned out to be a young woman somewhere in her late twenties.
> 
> She was riding. Riding like the wind, in a great circle. Giving her mount it’s exercise and putting it through its paces. The two, horse and rider, seemed like one, and never once did the rider lift from the saddle.
> 
>  
> 
> “Ryia,” Sir Dain hailed her merrily. “Well met! We meet again at last!”
> 
>  
> 
> Ryia dismounted the mottled palfrey she had been riding on. Grasping its reins, she led it over to her friend and the boy who accompanied him.
> 
>  
> 
> “Who’s your friend?” she asked.
> 
>  
> 
> “Ryia Hostler, this is Bryce Lynch,” Sir Dain said, introducing them. “Bryce Lynch, this is Ryia Hostler. She’s one of the best reins-women in our land.”
> 
>  
> 
> “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Ryia asked, patting the horse, “Her name is Speed of the Hawk. She’s one of the fastest in the Vale of The Forests.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Forests?” Bryce asked. “Plural?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Indeed,” Ryia told him. “The Forest of Fantasy is but one of three. The others are the Forest of Dark Dreams, and the Forest of Ego. Both are exceedingly dangerous to travel. Many who have tried have never freed themselves from what awaits within. So, what brings you both to my stables?”
> 
>  
> 
> “We’re on a great quest,” Sir Dain said. “I have my steed, but young Bryce here does not. Nor has he ridden in the past. He is in need of lessons and a good mount.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Very well,” Ryia told them. “But it will take at least three days for he and his mount to grow accustomed to one and other. I will provide you will lodgings in my stable and training for those three days. In turn, you will provide me with assistance in feeding the horses and mucking the stables.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce wasn’t thrilled about mucking stables, but it did seem to be a fair trade for what he was getting in return.
> 
>  
> 
> “Very well,” he agreed.
> 
>  
> 
> “Excellent,” Ryia smiled. “Then let us go and see which of my horses likes you.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce looked at her in mild confusion.
> 
>  
> 
> “I always let the horse decide,” Ryia said. “A horse who has decided they do not like their rider will never be a good fit. They will buck and throw, and that will not be any help to you on your quest. Come. It is time for the horses to meet you.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce followed her over to a pen where several horses ran, trotted, walked, ate, and drank.
> 
>  
> 
> “Just stand by the fence and wait,” Ryia told him. “The one meant for you will make his or her way to the fence when they sense your presence.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce watched the horses, neither calling to them nor discouraging them.
> 
>  
> 
> Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of waiting, a pale white mare trotted up to him. She sniffed him in curiosity and stamped the ground with a hoof as if she were lost in thought, trying to make up her mind about this strange human who did not smell to her as if he belonged to this world.
> 
>  
> 
> **Patience, Bryce,** he thought to himself. **Show no fear.**
> 
>  
> 
> The mare stopped stomping and lowered her head in greeting.
> 
> Ryia joined them a moment later,
> 
>  
> 
> “Good girl, Mirabelle,” she said, patting the animal on its side.  “Come, let’s get you saddled for your new rider. Just be nice to him. You’re his first horse. We don’t want him to get too bruised up on his first day of riding.”
> 
>   
> 


	3. Chapter 3

## Chapter 03

 

Reg had joined Dominique at Bryce’s bedside along with Edison, Theora, Jake and his parents, and Jenny who had come at the end of her shift at TechnoVision.

 

“Why did you take him from us?” Jenny asked Jake angrily. “If you’d stayed away from him this never would have happened.”

 

“It wasn’t his fault,” Mrs. Anderson argued. “He wasn’t driving recklessly.”

 

“But if it wasn’t for him, Bryce wouldn’t have been there in the first place,” Jenny complained.

 

“Let’s not argue around Bryce,” Theora said. “It’s not good for him.”

 

“It’s not like he can hear me,” Jenny said.

 

“Actually, most people believe that coma patients can hear those around them,” Edison put in. “So just in case, if you must argue, please do it elsewhere. Preferably in the cafeteria over chocolate biscuits.”

 

“Mr. Carter,” Jenny said pointedly. “Nobody argues while eating chocolate biscuits.”

 

“Exactly,” Edison smiled.  He looked at Bryce. “What are you dreaming, kid? I wish I knew.”

 

“It’s a shame the telecine machine at mind’s eye was lethal,” Theora remarked. “It could show us.”

 

“I won’t risk killing him, the way it killed Paddy Ashton,” Edison said, determinedly. “We’ll just have to wait until Bryce wakes up for him to tell us.”

 

*****

 

>  
> 
> Bryce carefully brushed Mirabelle, gently patting her with his brush-free hand as he went over her with the brush and curry comb.
> 
>  
> 
> “You’re quite a lovely horse,” he told her, smiling at her. “I hope we’ll be good friends.”
> 
>  
> 
> Mirabelle tossed her head, her white mane flipping prettily. Bryce assumed she was nodding in agreement and continued to gently brush her and to curry her as gently as he could.
> 
>  
> 
> “You’re doing an admirable job,” Ryia told him as she and Sir Dain watched him from nearby. “I can tell Mirabelle thinks so, too. She likes you. Keep it up.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce finished grooming Mirabelle and gave her a treat of a carrot which she took from him happily.
> 
>  
> 
> “Good girl,” Bryce told Mirabelle as the horse enjoyed the carrot.
> 
>  
> 
> Mirabelle gave Bryce a look that told him and those watching that she was quite pleased with him.
> 
>  
> 
> “You both did well today,” Ryia said. “Well, done, indeed. Go muck out her stable and give her some dinner. Our dinner should be finished by the time you’ve washed up afterward.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Thank you,” Bryce said, happily.
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce walked Mirabelle to the stable. She followed easily, knowing that she was going to be fed.
> 
>  
> 
> Sir Dain followed Ryia into the house.
> 
>  
> 
> “He’s so different,” Ryia observed washing her hands in a basin of well water she had brought in that morning. “He appears to be good with Mirabelle though. I just get the feeling that he doesn’t belong her somehow.”
> 
>  
> 
> “And yet…” Sir Dain prompted.
> 
>  
> 
> “And yet, somehow he feels right,” Ryia told the knight, “Like he could acclimate himself to this place very easily.”
> 
>  
> 
> Sir Dain reached for an apple.
> 
>  
> 
> “Wash your hands,” Ryia reminded him.
> 
>  
> 
> Sir Dain went over to the basin and washed his hands before returning to the fruit bowl. It wasn’t long before they heard the patter of rain on the roof.  
> 
>  
> 
> Ryia set the stove alight and began chopping vegetables for the dinner.
> 
> “Is there anything I can do,” Sir Dain asked. It was customary for men to  relax while women worked the kitchen, but that did not mean help would not be welcome. Especially when the woman in question put in a hard day’s work.
> 
>  
> 
> “I’ve got everything under control,” Ryia said, proudly. “You can tell me more about your friend Bryce.”
> 
>  

_*****_

 

Edison turned the television channel to Network 23. Something in his heart told him it was the right thing to do. Max had no idea that Bryce had been injured and was no lying in a coma from which he might not ever wake up.

 

“This is Max-Max-Max Headroom coming to live and… d-d-direct…” Max faltered as he saw Bryce lying in the bed at the med center. “Bryce?” he focused himself onto the single TV screen mounted on the wall at the end of Bryce’s bed. “B-B-Bryce?”

 

“He won’t respond, Max,” Edison told him. “He’s been in a car crash. And he’s suffered really bad injuries to his body and brain. We don’t even know if he’ll ever wake up.”

 

“I could go in and wake him up,” Max offered. “Like I did when you got stuck after that Neuro…”

 

“No, Max,” Jenny told him. “You came out of Edison so you were already a part of him. You’ve never been in Bryce’s mind. Your presence there might cause a schizophrenic episode. It could even kill him.”

 

Max looked defeated. “So what can I do?” he asked.

 

“At the moment, all any of us can do is wait,” Edison told him.

 

“He doesn’t look right,” Max observed.

 

“His leg was amputated,” Edison explained. “It’s in cryo being reserved for him.  If he comes out of this coma before the week is up the doctors will try to reattach it. That’s the longest they’ll wait. After that, he’ll have to settle for another or an artificial one.”

 

“I want him awake,” Max said. “I want to talk-talk-talk to him. I miss him.”

 

“We all do, Max,” Theora agreed.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

## Chapter 04

 

 

> “You did very well with Mirabelle today,” Ryia told Bryce as she brought bowls of vegetable soup to the table. “I’m sorry this is all I have. But the nearest market is in the town near the Forest of Dark Dreams, and I’m not at all fond of going there. Too many things in that forest frighten me. Even if they generally remain within.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Ryia’s worried that something might come out someday,” Sir Dain explained.
> 
>  
> 
> “Everyone who lives in the town says the hunter who helped the Baron capture the Princess lives in that forest,” Ryia told Bryce, giving a challenging glance to Sir Dain who wisely decided not to argue. “They say he’s the reason for the Darkness.”
> 
>  
> 
> “But the Darkness is in the Forest of Fantasy,” Bryce pointed out.
> 
>  
> 
> “It’s in all three forests,” Ryia corrected him. “It’s just more noticeable in the Forest of Fantasy because that one has been bright and sunlit while the others have always been dimmer and flourish in the nighttime.”
> 
>  
> 
> “But if they flourish in the nighttime…” Bryce asked.
> 
>  
> 
> “Eat, you two, before it gets cold,” Ryia told them. As they began their soup, she continued.
> 
> “Nighttime and darkness are not the same. In the night there are still lights. The stars and the moon. The lights in the windows of houses nearby. Fireflies. Lanterns.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Of course,” Bryce realized. “And the Darkness swallows up all of these lights?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Every last one,” Sir Dain told him.
> 
>  
> 
> “That is why your quests are so important,” Ryia told them. “And why it’s important that Bryce learn to ride Mirabelle as quickly as reasonable. You’ve earned her trust. Now your next step is to get her used to her blanket and saddle. I will teach you these things tomorrow. You may wish to get some sleep early on, as I will be waking you early tomorrow morning. You may sleep in a corner of the barn. I assume it’s comfortable in there as the horses have never complained.”
> 
>  
> 
> Sir Dain smiled gratefully. He knew she was too modest to have men sleeping in her home, even on the sofa.
> 
>  
> 
> “Thank you,” Bryce said. It was at least better than sleeping on tree roots and rocks.
> 
>   
> 

*****

“How did the surgery go,” Dom asked as she returned to Bryce’s room.

 

“We did a lumbar puncture to check his fluid levels,” the doctor explained. “We only detected a small level of fluid. We think a burr hole would be beneficial. I have to warn you, however, that there is a very small risk of further brain injury.”

 

“Will it wake him up from the coma?” Dom wanted to know. “And how bad of a further brain injury?”

 

“It could affect motor function if the drill hits the brain itself,” the doctor said. “And while patients have been known to awaken after pressure is taken off the brain, in his case, given that his main injury was a coup/contrecoup injury, it’s not likely to bring him out of it.”

 

“It doesn’t seem worth it at this point,” Dom decided. “If it’s only a small amount of fluid, then I think the right thing to do is wait for him to wake up and see what he wants to do.”

 

“As you wish,” the doctor said. He wished he could do more for Bryce, but at the moment, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

*****

 

 

> Bryce was awakened by the feel of something large nudging him.
> 
>  
> 
> Opening his eyes, he looked up into the face of the horse Mirabelle.
> 
>  
> 
> “Oh, you,” he laughed. “I bet you want your breakfast.”
> 
>  
> 
> Ryia smiled from the corner of the stable. “I fed her an hour ago.” she said sternly. “I don’t know where you’re from where you sleep until seven. But around here we’re up at five every day. I expect you to remember that tomorrow morning.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce stood up and looked at the horse.  “Sorry, Mirabelle.”
> 
>  
> 
> The horse nudged him in acceptance of the apology.
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce patted Mirabelle and led her out of the stable.
> 
>  
> 
> “Today,” Ryia told him, “you will practice blanketing her and getting her used to the weight of a blanket. The blanket goes on her under the saddle to prevent blistering the horse from the saddle rubbing against her back.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce followed Ryia into a storage barn where several saddles, blankets, and other horsey items were set up in neat rows on the barn wall or on shelves.
> 
>  
> 
> “Here,” Ryia said as she passed him a blue and silver checkered blanket. “This is called a caparison. It goes on the horse before the saddle and reins.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce took the caparison and brought it over to Mirabelle.
> 
>  
> 
> “Look,” he told her cheerfully, “Something nice for you to wear when we go riding together. Would you like to try it on?”
> 
>  
> 
> Mirabelle did not move, and Bryce took this to mean she did not protest. He studied the shape of the blanket carefully, then placed it over the horse, petting her approvingly once he was done.
> 
>  
> 
> “Good girl,” he told her.
> 
>  
> 
> “Now take her out to the paddock and let her run with it on to get a feel for it,” Ryia told him as Sir Dain joined them.
> 
>  
> 
> The four of them, including Mirabelle, walked over to the paddock.
> 
>  
> 
> They watched Mirabelle run. At first there were times when she seemed to want the caparison off. But she soon got accustomed to it and trotted at an even pace.
> 
>  
> 
> “Good girl, Mirabelle,” Bryce told her as she returned to them. He petted her fondly and gave her a carrot.
> 
>  
> 
> “We’ll try a saddle after lunch,” Ryia said. “Once she’s used to that, you can learn to mount and ride her.”
> 
>  
> 
> “That should be interesting,” Bryce remarked.
> 
>  
> 
> “I would think so,” Ryia agreed. “And I believe you will enjoy it once you’ve grown accustomed to it.”
> 
>   
> 


	5. Chapter 5

## Chapter 05

 

“I’m afraid you can’t go in to see him right now,” a nurse said to Dom and Reg. She had headed them off in the corridor on the way to Bryce’s hospital room.

 

“Why not?” Reg asked.

 

“What’s wrong?” Dominique wanted to know.

 

“He’s been stricken with a massive fever,” the nurse apologized. “The doctors have him in a cold bath at the moment. They don’t know what’s causing it.”

 

“I want to talk to the doctor,” Reg said, firmly.

 

“I’ll go see if he’s free,” the nurse told him as she turned on her heel and walked off.

 

“Fever,” Dominique said. “And he’s probably still in a coma. Oh, Reg! I’m going to lose my son! Just when I got him back!”

 

“It’ll turn out okay,” Reg tried to assure her.

 

Bryce’s doctor came out a few minutes later. He had a concerned expression his face.

 

“Bryce’s fever still hasn’t broken,” he told them, worriedly. “We don’t even know what’s causing it. He doesn’t have any infection, though there is a slight increase in fluid pressure on the brain. At this stage I would strongly recommend drilling a burr hole. It’s very small and it’s unlikely there would be further injury.”

 

“Dom,” Reg began.

 

Dom nodded, tearfully.

 

“We’ll have to wait until the fever diminishes,” the doctor told them. “Why don’t you two go up to the cafeteria and have some coffee?” he handed them a couple of street dollars each.  “It’s on me.”

 

“Thank you,” Reg said as he led Dom to the cafeteria.

 

*****

 

 

> Bryce wiped his arm across his sweat-drenched forehead as he dismounted from Mirabelle.
> 
> He had learned to saddle her and had been practicing riding her at a walk, a trot, a canter, and finally a gallop for two days. Now he was learning to ride her through an obstacle course to get her used to riding in the forest.  
> 
>  
> 
> “Wow!” he said a cheerful but tired voice.  “I never thought that **I** would work up a sweat. I may be putting her through her paces, but she’s also putting me through mine. But that’s okay,” he said, petting Mirabelle. “You’re a good horse. And a good friend.”

 

 

> Mirabelle nodded her head as if in agreement.

 

> “She thinks you’re a good friend, too,” Ryia told him as Sir Dain came out to join them.

 

> “How’s he getting on,” he asked.

 

> “Excellent,” Ryia told him. “He’s a fast learner. And they’ve bonded. You don’t have to return her after the quest. I think she’s always belonged to him. Bryce!” she called out. “Come! Wash up and feed Mirabelle. Then you can join us for lunch.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce led Mirabelle to the stable and brushed her down. Then he put down some hay and water for her.
> 
>  
> 
> “Go ahead and enjoy,” he told her. “We’ll do some more riding later if you like.”

 

> Mirabelle nudged him happily, then bent to eat and drink while Bryce made his way to the washing basin and then to the kitchen where Ryia and Sir Dain were waiting for him.
> 
>  
> 
> “It’s just a salad this afternoon, I’m afraid,” Ryia told them.
> 
>  
> 
> “That’s fine,” Bryce told her.  “That’ll be cool and refreshing. Thank you. And thank you for having us as guests.”
> 
>  
> 
> “You’re welcome,” Ryia smiled. “I think you will be able to resume your quest tomorrow morning. You may keep the saddle and gear Mirabelle has been wearing. She seems to have grown quite accustomed to it.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Mirabelle’s a lovely horse,” Bryce said. “I honestly never thought I’d ride one. But I’m glad she and I met.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I’m glad,” Ryia said. “I’ve decided to give her to you. I just can’t make you return her when she’s grown so attached to you. And I suspect you’ve become just as fond of her.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I have,” Bryce agreed. “She’s a good friend.”

 

> The rest of the meal was only punctuated by the occasional praise of the meal. Even though it was just salad, the vegetables were freshly grown and freshly picked. And that made everything all the more delicious.

 

_*****_

 

“The fever has broken,” the doctor said as he joined Reg and Dom in the cafeteria. “And we’ve done the burr hole. No problems there, either.”

 

“So now my son has a huge hole in his head.”

 

“Not huge, no,” the doctor told him. “It’s about the width of my pinky.”

 

“Will it heal?”

 

“Once it finishes draining which shouldn’t be too much longer, we’ll repair it with a biodegradable mesh which will facilitate bone regeneration. And we’ll monitor him for infection, though it’s unlikely at this stage.”

 

“Thank you, doctor,” Dom said.

 

“You can thank me properly when he comes out of his coma. I just wish I could get a response out of him.”

 

Edison and Theora joined them, sitting silently in two of the chairs at the long table.

 

“How is he?” Edison asked.

 

“There was an emergency,” Reg told him. “But it’s been taken care of.”

 

“We know he’s not brain dead,” the doctor said, “because of the amount of activity. So why isn’t he responding to any touch stimuli? It just doesn’t make sense.”

 

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Edison said, encouragingly.

 

“Thank you for that vote of confidence,” the doctor replied gratefully. He finished his coffee and stood up.  “Well, my break’s over. Time to get back to my patients. You may visit Bryce once you’ve finished your coffee.”

 

“Thank you, doctor,” Dominique told him.

 


	6. Chapter 6

## Chapter 06

 

Dominique walked into the room and sat on the chair next to the bed. She wished she could sit on the bed itself, but it was laden with tubes and wires and other apparati that were monitoring Bryce or helping him to stay alive.

 

“Why won’t you wake up?” she asked, sadly. “I wish you’d come back to me. I miss you so much, Bryce. Me and your father and all your friends. We miss you terribly.”

 

Bryce didn’t so much as stir. Not even when she stroked his temple and kissed his forehead.

 

Reg joined her and stood behind her, placing her hands comfortingly on her shoulders.

 

“Still nothing?” he asked morosely.

 

“Nothing at all,” Dom said. “If it weren’t for the brain activity I would think he was…” She looked up at Reg.  “I don’t understand it, Reg. With all this brain activity you’d think he was very active physically. That he would be wide awake. It just doesn’t make sense.”

 

*****

 

> Mirabelle hesitated just for a moment at the edge of the household where she had grown up. Today she was saying “goodbye” to the nice lady who had raised her. She trotted back and forth for a moment, her new friend Bryce mounted upon her back, the saddle and caparison fitting her perfectly.
> 
>  
> 
> “Come along, you two!” Sir Dain called out to them. “Great adventure awaits!”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce pressed his left knee to Mirabelle’s side to turn her in that direction, then urged her forward with both until he was side by side with Sir Dain and his horse Sundown.
> 
>  
> 
> “Onward then,” Sir Dain said boldly. “Onward to the Castle! Through the Forest of Fantasy! It is in that castle that we shall find your Silver Light and the Princess Cedany!”
> 
>  
> 
> They rode at a canter until they reached the forest just a short distance away.
> 
>  
> 
> “How deep is this forest?” Bryce wanted to know as Mirabelle and Sundown carried him and Sir Dain onto the widest path between the trees.
> 
>  
> 
> “Six miles in and six miles out,” Sir Dain replied, glancing back at Bryce.
> 
>  
> 
> “So twelve miles,” Bryce guessed.
> 
>  
> 
> “No,” Sir Dain corrected him. “Six miles in and six miles out. You’ll understand better when we reach that point.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce nodded and continued to urge Mirabelle forward.
> 
>  
> 
> Six miles into the forest the horses stopped.
> 
>  
> 
> “Mirabelle,” Bryce asked, petting her soothingly, “what’s the matter?”
> 
>  
> 
> “We’re at the six mile mark,” Sir Dain told him. “This is the place where the Baron’s demon magic begins to affect the forest. Most animals will not venture past here. Including Man. But come, we must set aside our fears and continue onward!”
> 
>  
> 
> “It’s okay, Mirabelle,” Bryce told his horse, “I will protect you.”
> 
>  
> 
> Mirabelle took him at his word and walked trotted forward, following Sir Dain who had made a similar promise to Sundown.
> 
>  
> 
> “Somebody’s sneaking around in **my** forest!” a voice boomed. “Who **dares** enter my domain?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Sir Dain of the Seven Knights, Son of Destrian and Elspeth,” Sir Dain replied in a bold voice.
> 
>  
> 
> “And what of the little one?” the voice demanded. “Who might you be?”
> 
>  
> 
> “I am simply Bryce Lynch,” Bryce replied. “Son of Reg and Dom. No more and no less.”
> 
>  
> 
> “You speak truthfully, little one,” the voice taunted. “But do not assume your honesty will impress me.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Are you the Baron?” Bryce asked, cautiously.
> 
>  
> 
> “I am **not** ,” the voice laughed. “He is foolish for a member of his kind. No, I am the **One Who Moves Likes Fire** . **The One Who Dances in Flames.** ”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce shivered and petted Mirabelle reassuringly.
> 
>  
> 
> “Come a bit closer,” the voice teased. “Come closer and you will see who I am.”
> 
>  
> 
> Sir Dain held back and tried to get Bryce to do likewise. He knew what awaited them. Had heard the descriptions before.
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce, however, did not know what he was dealing with, and with the bold recklessness of the curious, urged Mirabelle forward.
> 
>  
> 
> A dark shimmer fell around Bryce and Mirabelle as they seemed to pass out of sight, away from Sir Dain and Sundown.
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce found himself looking at a wall of orange and red scales. They reminded him of a sunset. He wondered for a moment who had built a wall from such an unusual material.
> 
> Then he realized the truth of the matter. It was no wall, but rather the underbelly of a very large dragon.
> 
>  
> 
> And Bryce Lynch had no weapons.


	7. Chapter 7

## Chapter 07

 

“Doctor!” a nurse called from Bryce’s bedside in the morning. “He’s burning up! It started just now. Out of the blue. One minute ago he was fine. I just took his temperature and it was 98.8. Slightly high but still within normal range.”

 

The doctor grabbed a thermometer and checked Bryce’s temperature.

 

“It’s not a fever,” he said gratefully.  “This is the kind of temperature increase you get during a stressful situation. I just wish I knew what was causing him so much stress. Still, I’m going to examine the burr hole surgery site. I want to make sure we’re not dealing with an unexpected infection or other problem there at the site.”

 

*****

 

> Bryce petted Mirabelle, just as much to calm himself as to calm her.
> 
>  
> 
> “What do you think, girl?” he asked. “Is our host as dangerous as he sounds?”
> 
>  
> 
> Mirabelle tossed her head in the affirmative.
> 
>  
> 
> “Yeah, I was afraid you’d say that,” Bryce told her. He looked up at the mist that hid the dragon’s face. “Do you have a name? Or are fancy titles all you’re worth?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Oh ho ho!” the Dragon chortled. “What a brave and foolish knight you are. And to come into my realm with not so much as a chainmail gauntlet! May as well have walked in here in your nightshirt.”
> 
>  
> 
> “My quest has only just begun,” Bryce declared.
> 
>  
> 
> “And now it shall end,” the Dragon announced. “You are alone, silly little boy. No living flesh may penetrate my barrier unless I will it!”
> 
>  
> 
> The wall of scales moved, and Bryce could tell that the great beast was rearing to attack. It was surely all over for him.
> 
>  
> 
> Suddenly, an red arrow flew through the barrier that separated Bryce and Mirabelle from Sir Dain and Sundown.  It imbedded into the Dragon’s abdomen, but not deep enough to do any real damage.
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce leapt down from Mirabelle and raced over to the beast, grasping it’s scales and beginning to climb the Dragon like a great quaking mountainside. The edges of the scales scratched and cut into his palms. He ignored the pain and the tears that came unbidden to his eyes and kept going, praying he would reach the arrow before the Dragon succeeded in throwing him off.
> 
>  
> 
> At last he was there. His feet were resting unsteadily on a pair of the Dragon’s rocky scales. His left hand gripped another.
> 
>  
> 
> He steadied himself, then with his right hand, he plunged the arrow into the great beast, knowing it was his only chance and praying it would hit a vital spot.
> 
>  
> 
> The dragon roared and reared all the way up, carrying Bryce with him as it crashed down on its back.
> 
>  

_*****_

 

The doctor and his team worked with intensity as Bryce’s vital signs went through the roof. Muscle movements registered. Twitches that suggested that a tremendous amount of activity were happening to the stricken body before them. But none of these movements were happening, particularly to his right leg which was almost completely gone.

 

“What do we do?” a nurse asked.

 

“This is unprecedented,” another doctor said.

 

“We follow routine procedure until we learn more,” the doctor said.  “First we…”

 

And then, just like that, Bryce’s vital signs returned to the way they had been during what the doctors had begun to call his NCS time, or Normal Comatose State.

 


	8. Chapter 8

## Chapter 08

 

> Bryce caught his breath as he climbed down from the chest of the dragon.
> 
>  
> 
> The death of the dragon had removed the dark-shimmer barrier and Sir Dain was rushing up to him.
> 
>  
> 
> But Sir Dain and Sundown were not alone.
> 
>  
> 
> A girl was with them, a girl who looked to be about seven or eight sitting astride a horse that looked much too big for her. It was a large horse, much bigger than Mirabelle or Sundown.
> 
>  
> 
> “Bryce,” Sir Dain said, “this is Beatrix and her horse Starmane.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce mounted Mirabelle, wincing at the discomfort of his jagged palms.
> 
>  
> 
> “Let me see,” Beatrix said as she rode up to him.
> 
>  
> 
> “There are bit too bloody for eyes as young as yours, I’m afraid,” Bryce told her regrettably. “I shall need to find a healer.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I **am** a healer,” the child told him, firmly.
> 
>  
> 
> There was something in her voice that made Bryce believe her instantly. He held out his hands to Beatrix who touched them briefly. In just that moment, the wounds were gone.
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce, who had expected salves and bandages, looked at her in wonder.
> 
>  
> 
> Sir Dain looked at the child in equal amazement.
> 
>  
> 
> “How?” Bryce managed to ask.
> 
>  
> 
> “It’s a very long story,” Beatrix told him. “But as we have a long journey ahead, I think I may have time to tell it.”
> 
>  
> 
> “We?” Bryce asked.
> 
>  
> 
> “Sir Dain has told me of your quest,” Beatrix explained. “And as you shall be in need of a healer again in time,  I have decided to make my abilities available to you.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce looked at Sir Dain for confirmation.
> 
>  
> 
> “She is quite talented and very trustworthy,” Sir Dain told him. “And we shall have need of her talents in the future as she has said.”
> 
>  
> 
> “How do you **know** we can trust her?” Bryce asked.

 

> “Spoken with the mind of intelligence,” Beatrix smiled at him. “I am incapable of lying. My father was a Demiurge.”  She looked at Bryce with concern in her eyes. “You have a tough decision ahead of you. One that you will have to make. I cannot tell you more now. Only that when the time comes, Sir Dain and I cannot make up your mind for you. It must be your choice and yours alone.”
> 
>  

_*****_

 

“I don’t understand, doctor,” Edison said while Reg and Dom sat vigil around Bryce. The young genius’s condition had become so erratic that the doctors all feared that his time was drawing short.  “What’s causing all of these attacks or whatever they are?”

 

“I have to be honest,” the doctor replied. “I’m as clueless about this as you are. The fevers and spasms come and go so quickly. We’ve barely put him back to bed following the conclusion of one and another one begins. I personally believe that his mind is locked in a struggle for survival that’s putting a great strain on his body. But I’m afraid I cannot prove such a thing. So all we can do now is wait and see what happens. The battle at this point, if I’m right about this, is entirely up to him now.”

 

“So, we just do nothing,” Edison snapped.

 

“No,” the doctor said. “We, that is my staff and I, make his body as comfortable as possible. If his mind is embattled, the last thing it needs right now is bodily discomfort to get in its way.”

 

“And what do we do? Reg and Dom and Theora and I…”

 

“And me,” Max added.

 

“And Max,” Edison amended.

 

“You and the rest of his friends should sit by him. Speak words of encouragement. Let him know that you’re behind him. Wherever his dream might lead.”

 

“And if it should lead beyond this world?” Edison asked.

 

“Then let your heart lead you,” the doctor told him.

 

_******_

 

> Bryce, Sir Dain, and Beatrix stopped at a pool to let their horses drink.
> 
>  
> 
> “Why do you ride such a large horse?” Bryce asked Beatrix.
> 
>  
> 
> “As a half-Demiurge there is a great deal of spiritual power in me,” Beatrix explained. “Most horses and other animals become spooked if I get too near. Starmane was sent to me from beyond. Probably by my father.”
> 
>  
> 
> “From beyond where?” Bryce asked.
> 
>  
> 
> “Past the Forest of Dark Dreams,” Beatrix told him. “We do not know what lies there. My mother once, before she died, said that father showed her a vision of what was there, but that it was so astonishing, that she had no words for it.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I wish I could see it,” Bryce said.
> 
>  
> 
> “Perhaps after the Princess Cedany is safely away from the Baron of Wightshire?” Sir Dain reminded them.
> 
>  
> 
> “Perhaps,” Bryce agreed. “But we must first find the Silver Light.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Yes,” Sir Dain nodded. He turned to Beatrix.  “Do you know where it might be?”
> 
>  
> 
> Beatrix nodded. “It’s not far,” she told them. “But you cannot see it now. For now, let us rest. You, Bryce, are in need of rest as are the rest of us and all of our horses. We’ll camp for the night and in the morning we will continue our journey.”


	9. Chapter 9

## Chapter 09

 

>  
> 
> “Bryce… wake up… it’s time for you to decide…”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce opened his eyes and found himself facing a brilliant illumination unlike he’d ever seen before.
> 
>  
> 
> “Is this….the Silver Light?” he asked.
> 
>  
> 
> “It is,” Beatrix said. “I’ve had it with me all along, but it could not be activated until a full moon was high in the sky.”
> 
>  
> 
> “What is it?” Bryce asked her.
> 
>  
> 
> “It is your choice,” Beatrix explained. “You can go home, or you can use the Light to attack the castle and free the Princess with Sir Dain.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce thought about it. He had no idea what condition he was in at home, but he reasoned that it couldn’t be good if his mind had been shunted to another world.
> 
>  
> 
> “I’ll stay,” he said. He turned to face the forest as a cloud passed over the moon. The last of the silver trees were fading to dark now.
> 
>  
> 
> Beatrix went to them and touched a single tree as the others faded. A brightness traveled up the trunk until the entire was a pale shade of gold with leaves of shining green.

 

 

> “As you make your journey, this tree will grow and flourish,” she told him. “You are a young man of this world now. Never again to walk upon the ground in the world from whence you came.”
> 
>  
> 
> Bryce took a deep breath, feeling some invisible tether that he hadn’t noticed silently fall away from him.
> 
>  

_*****_

 

“Bryce!” Dominique screamed as the machines went suddenly into flatline.  “Bryce! Don’t leave us!”

Edison, Theora and Reg hurried to Bryce’s side as Max flipped to the nurse station screen to inform them.

The nurses and doctors rushed to Bryce’s bedside, sweeping friends and family aside as they worked to save Bryce’s life.

“Glasgow coma scale five and dropping fast,” a moment later the team member who had announced it amended. “Three.” 

Dom couldn’t tell who spoke and didn’t care. All that mattered to her was that her son, her seventeen year old son, was dying.

They tried everything to bring him back.

There was nothing they could do.

“Total brain death occurred at 4:28PM,” the doctor declared. He turned to the others. “I’m sorry.” was all he could say.

 


End file.
